Catalan separatist trial judgement: Barcelona riots

1. Let's keep going with the judgement, while they block roads in Catalonia and burn things. Both the repeal of laws and the mobilisation of the sheep citizens were sedition, says the Supreme Court. They had a duty to protect those laws. How do the crimes fit the defendants?
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 10:51 am | On Twitter

2. The argument put forward by Forn that citizens acted voluntarily between the defendants and the facts in question, thus breaking the cause-effect chain, does not stand, rules court. "Far from being removed…it was pre-ordered and encouraged ex ante by the defendants".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 10:58 am | On Twitter

3. Junqueras: "abundant" evidence proving he committed a crime of sedition, says the Supreme Court. His was a "prominent role", with "organisational preeminence" and "recognised leadership". In addition, he "admitted the reality of the facts" during the trial.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:05 am | On Twitter

4. Junqueras presented the referendum question in public and in July 2017 took over all the powers related to the October 1 vote, "from that moment on, his control over the seditious process intensified".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:12 am | On Twitter

5. Junqueras "promoted and actively participated in the adoption of Law 19/2017, of Sept 6, regulating the referendum on self-determination and of Law 20/2017, the Legal Transition and Foundation of the Republic".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:13 am | On Twitter

6. Junqueras "was notified of its duty to prevent or paralyse these initiatives", "signed Decree 139/2017 on September 6, 2017, calling for the referendum", and "approved Decree 140/2017, of September 6", with complementary rules for the referendum.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:16 am | On Twitter

7. "The persistent disregard by the defendant Mr. Junqueras of all the notifications that were addressed to him, clarifies any doubt" about his control of the referendum and "the defendant himself admitted his role".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:25 am | On Twitter

8. On Sept 20. 2'17, Junqueras, "who knew of the difficult circumstances in which the judicial proceedings were being carried out, refused to address the crowd to ask them to desist in their attitude".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:29 am | On Twitter

9. We have been told repeatedly in the judgement that the true intention of the defendants was NOT secession, but Junqueras was at the meeting in which Puigdemont "told all those present that if violence broke out on October 1, he would declare independence".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:47 am | On Twitter

10. The court accepts the Catalan Police commanders' version of the content of that meeting on September 28 with Puigdemont, Junqueras and Forn. The defendant's version that "a scenario of violence was impossible" is not believable.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:52 am | On Twitter

11. The "message repeatedly and consciously sent to the citizens" was "to defend the referendum, defend the ballot box, to resist and to oppose police orders".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 11:57 am | On Twitter

12. Romeva was "in charge of the international dissemination of the [independence] process" and was "aware of the notorious illegality of his action".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 12:06 pm | On Twitter

13. Romeva "took up the government's foreign strategy to legitimise the referendum internationally" and "was aware that he was promoting the creation of a parallel legality…"
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 12:58 pm | On Twitter

14. In this paragraph about Romeva, we see the clear introduction of the narrative elements preferred by the Supreme Court: the real aim was only to "neutralise" judges and the vote "would in no case turn the region of Catalonia into a sovereign state", BUT…
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 1:06 pm | On Twitter

15. …for some strange reason—given how the Supreme Court has certified his true aim—Romeva persisted in announcing that if he won the referendum, "independence would be declared", spoke of the “viability” of the Republic, and argued “there was no alternative” to independence.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 1:08 pm | On Twitter

16. Romeva "acknowledged his attitude of rejection towards compliance with the warnings of the Constitutional Court" but justified his behaviour because of his feelings of rejection towards the court's ruling on Statute of Catalonia, years earlier.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 1:30 pm | On Twitter

17. With Romeva there is a “striking” contradiction (on page 275 the contradiction was "insurmountable") for invoking the right to self-determination while testifying at trial that they wanted to negotiate with Rajoy. [Note, again: he had the right to lie during the trial]
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 1:43 pm | On Twitter

18. Again, at the end of the section on Romeva and sedition, the Supreme Court says that their real aim was not secession but "to unilaterally deprive [the central government and judges in Catalonia] of any executive force, de facto".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 1:50 pm | On Twitter

19. Let us continue with the judgement. It is not dark yet but separatists are already throwing stones in Barcelona and it seems there has been at least one arrest and one injured officer. Via @elindepcom https://twitter.com/elindepcom/status/1185216707415232512/video/1
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 5:57 pm | On Twitter

20. And notice that in that video, six out of the eight journalists are wearing helmets…
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 5:59 pm | On Twitter

21. Anonymous Catalonia, on their Telegram channel: "the people should go to Parliament or government HQ to demand what belongs to them".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 6:02 pm | On Twitter

22. And it's not just Barcelona today. This is the N-145 near Andorra, says Anonymous.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 6:07 pm | On Twitter

30. Spanish Home Secretary to make a statement on Barcelona violence at 8 p.m.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 7:53 pm | On Twitter

31. Catalan Police start tweeting in English to warn tourists of the danger: "Violent acts and serious incidents in the center of Barcelona. For your safety, do not approach this area".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 7:56 pm | On Twitter

32. Police fire several tear gas canisters at the same time in Barcelona and the separatist rioters run away. Via @SellaresMarc
https://twitter.com/SellaresMarc/status/1185254809466740736/video/1
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 8:05 pm | On Twitter

35. The National Police confirms that the injured officer was hit by a stone. Now conscious, he has been evacuated to hospital.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 8:23 pm | On Twitter

36. Spanish Home Secretary says there are 400 violent separatist protestors in Barcelona: "We are going to apply the full force of the Criminal Code against violent separatism".
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 8:55 pm | On Twitter

39. We shall carry on with the judgement tomorrow. Thank you for reading today.
Published: Oct 18, 2019, 9:43 pm | On Twitter

Guarantee independent journalism

Your support guarantees the future of independent journalism.
Every reader counts and it all adds up, whether you choose $5 or $10 or $25 each month.
You invest directly in better reporting and more detailed analysis—in English and in Spanish—of the most important stories affecting Spain. The truth about how Spain is changing.

Get original, detailed, independent reporting and analysis of the stories changing Spain. Full-text articles delivered right to your inbox, in English. You can also choose to get them in Spanish. No ads, no spam. Just readers.

What is The Spain Report?

Independent reporting and analysis of the most important stories changing the country,
written by Matthew Bennett, a British journalist who has been living and working in Spain for most of the past 20 years.
Read more